Five left backs Man Utd should target to replace Luke Shaw
Manchester United’s roster rejuvenation is a three-year process, sparked by a wretched 2024–25 campaign that ended with the humiliation of losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, per www.si.com.
The club responded by spending over $200 million on three forwards, then rebuilt the midfield after Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim at the start of the year and led a third-place finish and a return to the Champions League.
Holes remain, though, particularly in defense. No late-summer reinforcements arrived, and trouble is brewing at left back, according to www.si.com.
Luke Shaw is 31 and in the final year of his contract after a surprising injury-free 2025–26 season. Carrick is relying on his body to hold up despite the extra games, but the existing alternatives are underwhelming, hindering United’s dynamics in possession.
The winter window offers another chance to add superior cover or a potential usurper. No specific injury or transfer is confirmed; the situation is reported by www.si.com.
ALEJANDRO BALDE
Alejandro Balde genuinely looked like Jordi Alba’s long-term successor and one of Europe’s premier left backs when he was breaking through at Barcelona, per www.si.com.
He was particularly excellent during the club’s La Liga-winning campaign of 2022–23, when he notched six assists in 33 games. That attacking output, at age 20, marked him as the natural heir to Alba’s overlapping role.
An Achilles injury sustained at the start of 2024 set him back. After Hansi Flick replaced Xavi Hernández, Balde was playing catch-up, yet he still made 32 league appearances in Flick’s first season and wasn’t completely discarded by the German last term.
Durability, in other words, has not been the issue. The problem is what has happened since.
Over the past 12 months, Flick has pivoted to alternatives at left back, with Balde’s attitude and focus being called into question, according to www.si.com. His relationship with Flick has become strained, and it seems as if a departure for the 22-year-old next year is inevitable.
That inevitability is not confirmed. The source frames it as a likelihood, not a done deal — but the strain is real enough that Barcelona’s coach has looked elsewhere.
For United, that makes Balde a plausible winter target: young enough to succeed Shaw long-term, proven in a title-winning side, and available because his manager has lost faith in him. The question is whether Flick’s doubts are a red flag or an opportunity.
WHY BALDE FITS
The numbers make the case for Balde as clearly as any scouting report could. He is 22 years old, per www.si.com, which means he offers the long-term potential to succeed Shaw rather than simply patch a hole for a season or two.
His attacking output is the headline statistic. Balde notched six assists in 33 games during Barcelona's La Liga-winning 2022–23 campaign, according to www.si.com. That production from left back is exactly what United's possession dynamics have been missing.
The durability question gets a partial answer, too. Despite the Achilles injury sustained at the start of 2024, Balde still made 32 league appearances in Flick's first season, per www.si.com. That is not a player who has broken down; it is a player who fought back from a serious setback and kept his place for most of a campaign.
United's existing alternatives hinder the team's possession dynamics, according to www.si.com. Balde's profile — young, attacking, willing to overlap and stretch defenses — directly addresses that weakness. He is not a stopgap; he is a stylistic upgrade.
The winter window gives United another chance to add superior cover or a potential usurper, per www.si.com. No transfer fee or contract terms have been mentioned in the source, so any figures floating around remain speculation.
What is clear is the fit. Balde brings the attacking numbers United lack, the age profile to outlast Shaw's contract, and a proven track record in a title-winning side. The risks around his attitude are real, but the statistical foundation is there for a club willing to take the chance.
THE RISKS AND REACTION
The concerns about Balde are not just physical. His attitude and focus have been called into question, per www.si.com, and his relationship with Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has become strained. Those issues are reported, not confirmed by the player or the club, but they have fueled speculation that a departure for the 22-year-old next year is inevitable.
Flick has pivoted to alternatives at left back over the past 12 months, reducing Balde’s role even after the defender made 32 league appearances in the German’s first season. The athleticism and attacking output that made him a standout in Barcelona’s 2022–23 title run remain intact, but the question is whether United would be buying a player whose best football came under a different manager.
The broader context matters too. United offered at least a semblance of frugality when reshaping the midfield, and some have pondered whether INEOS has sold new manager Michael Carrick short given the added rigors of European soccer and heightened expectations. Carrick is relying on Shaw’s body to hold up despite the extra games, per www.si.com, which makes the winter window more than a luxury.
Balde’s profile solves a tactical problem, but the risk is whether the attitude questions follow him to Manchester. No fee or contract terms have been mentioned in the source, so any figures remain speculation.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
The winter window is the next chance, and it is a significant one. United made no moves late in the summer, so the January market represents the club’s first real opportunity to address the left-back problem, per www.si.com.
Shaw’s contract expires at the end of the season, which makes that window crucial for planning rather than a mere upgrade. A decision on his future will shape whether United seek a long-term successor or superior cover, with Balde among five options the club reportedly targets in 2027, per www.si.com.
Carrick’s reliance on Shaw’s fitness will be tested further by added European games and heightened expectations, per www.si.com. The veteran’s surprising injury-free 2025–26 campaign offers some reassurance, but the schedule ahead demands more than hope.
No specific transfer is confirmed. The article only lists potential targets, with no fee or contract terms mentioned, so any figures remain speculation.
What is clear is the timeline: the winter window is the next opportunity, and it arrives with Shaw’s future unresolved. United will have to decide whether Balde — or one of the other four options — is worth the risk before the season’s end.
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